November 1, 2006
Gathered over a period of twenty-six years the collected Annual E. F. Schumacher Lectures pamphlets represent some of the finest thinking about creating a sustainable future. Each delivered as a lone testament to one person’s vision, viewed together they offer an integrated picture of hope and possibility for people, land, and communities. It was 1981 … Continued
October 22, 2006
The Schumacher Center has a reputation for both shaping discussion regarding sustainable local economies and then implementing the results of that discussion. During the past year, the Center’s staff has spent significant time on the development of BerkShares, a local currency program for the Southern Berkshire region of Massachusetts. Those who have followed the Center’s … Continued
October 18, 2006
The possibility exists that our society already holds the skills necessary for averting the predicted disasters of decreased energy supply. Communities held together by a social and economic network are in position to absorb a significant loss of energy inputs. They have the resources, a short supply chain, small scale and cottage industry, and human … Continued
October 16, 2006
Local business is a function of a cohesive community. Through consumer understanding and support a local economy can fully provide for the needs of its community. A small business with an intimate customer base can mold to the fluctuations in demand in ways that large corporate stores cannot. “Big box” stores contort consumer demand to … Continued
October 6, 2006
BerkShares Inc. and the Southern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce are pleased to announce that the official launch of BerkShares, the new local currency of the Berkshire region, has been a great success, thanks in part to the support and participation of the dynamic artistic community of the Berkshires. On Friday, Sept. 29, the Chamber of … Continued
October 4, 2006
The only energy source that we have complete control over is that of the human. Our ability to work, to draw sustenance from the lands around us comes from the tools we carry with us every day. The food we rely on comes from the accumulated knowledge of multiple generations, access to arable plots of … Continued
September 1, 2006
If our common interest is to create more sustainable communities, then part of that effort will be to build more independent regional economies—ones in which, as economist Fritz Schumacher advocates in Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered, the goods consumed in a region are produced in a region. Following Schumacher’s lead, the late Jane … Continued
August 16, 2006
Greta addressed her wedding invitations in-between sessions at the Schumacher Center’s May training seminar, “Building Sustainable Local Economies.” Her family’s home was in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward before last year’s hurricane destroyed buildings and scattered friends. Though busy with wedding arrangements, the seminar promised tools for regathering land and maintaining community control—tools needed for her … Continued
August 1, 2006
Part of what has led to this successful local entrepreneurship is an informed citizenry who understands that keeping dollars local supports the cultural, environmental, and social fabric of the Berkshires. They ask for locally grown food at restaurants; they make weekly visits to the farmer’s market as a household ritual; and they hire local professionals … Continued
July 1, 2006
In a world troubled by the consequences of an expanding global economy, the Schumacher Center is a trusted voice for positive change and citizen action, linking people, land, and community by building local economies. In this our twenty-sixth year staff, volunteers, and board of directors: Mourned the death of Jane Jacobs, champion of regional economies, … Continued
May 20, 2006
“A Water Ethic: Cure for the Coming Crisis” is the title of author Kirpatrick Sale’s June 2nd lecture for the Great Barrington Land Conservancy. Mr. Sale will speak about how for centuries humans have attempted to have control and dominance over the forces of nature, most especially of water, but in the 21st century we have … Continued
April 27, 2006
Jane Jacobs died on Tuesday, just short of her ninetieth birthday, her son by her side. The 1983 Annual E. F. Schumacher Lecture program was my first introduction to the extraordinary intellect of Jane Jacobs. In her talk “The Economy of Regions,” she argued for regional economic diversity, complexity, and interdependence. She imagined a myriad … Continued